C6

After the end of the ceremony, everyone went their way with the most popular destination being the Starbases bar after all once everyone turned 18 they were allowed to consume alcohol and who doesn't like to drink themselves to death in times like these.

Of course, those who wanted to, already started drinking and smoking way before they turned 18.

Officially it's not allowed but as long as you don't cause trouble or are talented enough to offset your sins the instructors and higher-ups will turn a blind eye to it.

"Here you are cade..., cough* I forgot it's Captain already, anyways let's go and grab a drink!"

The Dean said after grabbing my shoulder causing me to turn my head and stare at him suspiciously.

"Oh come on I know full well that you practically treat the bar as your second dorm from your first year!"

The Dean said while smiling with the kind of smile that doesn't allow for objections.

"Well I was going to drink myself to death anyways we might as well share a drink together"

I answered not surprised at Dean's words at all as I tucked my hands into my pants pockets.

...

"Alright spil it stinky brat! Just who the f*ck are you?! Youre clearly not a normal kid from the countryside!"

The dean shouted at the top of his voice as we sat down on the starbase bar counter chairs while he and I placed our service hats onto the table as the bar's techno music rang in our ears.

"A bottle of vodka!"

I shouted while extending my index finger.

The civilian barmen dressed in professional clothes gave a thumbs up as he danced in place to the DJ's rhythm.

"Would you believe me If I said it's not my first life?"

I asked as I grabbed the bottle of vodka just placed on the counter while grinning evilly and after opening it up drank a mouthful straight from the bottle"

Upon hearing my words the Deans brain short-circuited for a moment.

"Tch! Stinky brat if you don't want to say just say it!"

The dean said angrily not believing me one bit as he pointed to the bottle of whiskey causing the barmen to give another thumbs up.

"But I'm telling the truth thou..."

I said as I brought the bottle to my lips while with my left hand, I loosened my tie and unbuttoned my white smart T-shirt collar.

Hearing this the Dean almost choked on the whiskey that he just took a sip from.

"Cough*Cough* You stinky br..."

The Dean started saying only to cut his words short after noticing the glossy look in my eyes.

"You know unlike this life my last one..."

I started saying in my usual emotionless and cold tone as the unpleasant memories of what I experienced during the last years of my life surfaced in my mind.

"...well let's just say that it turned out to be a total cluster f*ck"

I finished my words as I hallfway downed my bottle in one go and placed it on the table.

...

"So what was your first battle like?"

The already dead-drunk Dean who already couldn't tell reality from fiction at this point asked after taking another sip of his whiskey.

"My first battle huh?"

I who was about a third way dead drunk too muttered under my breath as I inhaled a cloud of smoke from my vape.

"We got into a fucking ambush and it was an utter cluster fuck..."

I started recounting my first battle as I relived it in my mind.

Boom!Boom!Boom!

Arghhh!

Tratata!Tratata!Tratata!

Bang!Bang!Bang!

"Air support! We need fucking air support you sons of bitches!"

My platoons commander screamed into his wrecked IFVs radio only for a howitzers 150 mm HE shell to explode too close to his full of dents IFV that I was taking cover behind while pouring out lead from my assault rifle at the advancing towards us infantry.

Boom!

As I lay on the muddy ground with my bloodred view spinning from the blood leaking out from my forehead and the concussion from the explosion while the only thing I could hear in my head was the sound of my own heartbeat.

I saw my screaming and squirming wounded platoon mates get dragged to cover by their comrades as the damaged IFVs gunners kept rotating and firing their 30 mm APHE rounds from their already red hot auto canons barrels left and right while the HE shells from the howitzers kept exploding all around us sending hot shrapnel everywhere.

Boom!Boom!Boom!

"I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"

A soldier trying to stuff back his guts screamed at the top of his lungs as a paramedic gave him a shot of morphine.

Arghhh!

Another soldier covered in flames ran out from just destroyed IFV by a lucky HE shell that exploded too close to the IFV and started rolling on the muddy ground until he got burned into coal.

"...and I still have f*cking nightmares about it."

I finished my words as I exhaled a cloud of smoke from my mouth.

"Also, that was the battle in which I learned that something was wrong with me"

I said to myself as another set of memory flooded my mind.

I looked at my squad's horrifically burned commander whose urban camo field uniform, his armored vest, skin, and muscles had melted into one vomiting-inducing mess as he begged with his burned vocal cords.

"Kill me..."

"He's not going to live the morphine that Mike gave him is only going to prolong his suffering you should just put a bullet in his head and let him rest in piece."

"My platoon's second in command said as he placed his left hand onto my right shoulder."

"Why not do it yourself, sir?"

I asked in a calm cold-blooded voice devoid of any emotions or feelings.

"Look at my hand."

He said as he showed me his trembling right hand.

"I can't do it I'm barely holding on I feel like ill break down at any moment but you are the only one who seems fine for god's sake senior private Dracula look around you you're a natural-born killer."

The second in command said as he pointed at my still-alive colleagues who were either crying quietly while curled up in a fetal position or just silently stared blankly into the sky with their eyes which gave the impression that their souls had left their bodies.

I wordlessly pulled out my pistol and turned off its safety while walking towards my commander.

I pointed my pistol at my commander's forehead and wordlessly pulled the trigger causing everyone to grab their weapons like scarred rabbits and look at the source of the gunshot.

Only to see me rip off a burned flesh and fabric-covered dog tag from the commander's chain with my left hand while I inserted my pistol back into the holster tied around my same filthy uniform-covered right thigh.

Only for already drunk and trashed Aurora looking like a homeless person to pull me out from my memory train.

"Hey, Dra... bleh..."

Aurora started saying after grabbing my shoulder only to vomit all over me.

"For f*cks sake Au..."

I cursed under my breath as I grabbed the falling onto me Aurora.

I looked back at the dean who was already snoring on the table, then at Aurora's vomit-covered face.

Sigh*

I sighedbwordlessly as I picked her up into a princess carry and started walking through a bunch of graduates in service uniforms with loose ties, unbuttoned collars, and rolled-up sleeves that were going wild on the dance floor with different colored neon lights flashing on, and off.

That caused my neo-tattoos to light up whenever the lights fell directly on them.

...

"F*ck she really is going to kill me then she wakes up..."

I cursed under my breath as I looked at naked Aurora who I personally washed because I couldn't stand the stench of alcohol mixed with the contents of her stomach coming off of her with my almost superhuman sense of smell only in her underwear sleeping soundly under my blanket with a bucket next to her.

"Tch! Bloody lightweight, I'll have to teach her how to drink properly..."

I cursed softly as I laid down on my room's floor because there was no way I was going to get inside the women's dorms, of course, if I wanted to I could easily hack the starbases security but I really dint want to its way too much of a hassle.

I thought as I fell asleep.